The present invention relates generally to carpeting and, more particularly, to tools for repairing defective seams in installed carpets.
Modern homes and business establishments utilize carpet as a floor covering. In many cases, the carpet is installed over a resilient pad that, in turn, covers a wood or concrete surface. The term xe2x80x9cwall to wallxe2x80x9d is sometimes used in reference to such installations since the carpet covers substantially all of the area between walls of a room or a hall.
In the case of a typical carpet installation, the pad is first laid onto the wood or concrete surface. The carpet, which comes in rolls having widths, typically of 12 or 15 feet, is then cut to conform to desired configuration as it overlays the pad. In some cases, because the area to be covered is wider, or indeed longer, than the carpet roll, the installer must seam the carpet. This often entails a careful cutting of carpet material and matching with similar material.
A conventional technique, when it comes to carpet seaming, is to join together two carpet portions over a strip of adhesive tape. The tape serves to hold the carpet together at the seam.
In some cases and for several reasons, joined carpet portions separate from each other and from the underlying tape. These separations often occur in areas of high foot traffic, such as the middle of a room. Repair presents several problems.
The task facing the one who is repairing the carpet, at the outset, is to salvage the carpet and restore the seam. This is often more easily said than done. In some cases, as one attempts to repair a rift in the seam, the ends open further thereby enlarging the rift. Further, repair is difficult and sometimes unsuccessful because it requires applying adhesive uniformly, within very narrow confines, without depositing adhesive on the carpet.
It is impractical for more than one person to attempt carpet seam repair. As a result, the operation becomes complicated since the one performing the repair must hold apart the two carpet portions to be joined while applying adhesive to the underlying tape.
In view of the foregoing, there has been a need for carpet repair tool that would simplify the seam repair process while enabling one person to effect the repair in a convenient and efficient manner. Desirably such a repair tool would be constructed of readily available material and low in cost. Further, it would be desirable if such a carpet repair tool was usable equally by both left and right handed individuals.
According to the present invention, there is provided a carpet repair tool that is conveniently and efficiently operable by left and right handed individuals. The tool enables a single individual to accomplish carpet seam repairs in an effective manner while reducing the likelihood of depositing adhesive on the carpet under repair. In addition, the repair tool of the present invention enables one to repair substantially the entire seam rift, thereby reducing the likelihood of the seam subsequently opening up again.
A preferred embodiment comprises a carpet seam repair tool, and a method, for repairing a seam in installed carpet wherein a first carpet portion is separated from a second carpet portion along a seam rift and the seam overlies an adhesive tape. The repair tool includes a pair of legs joined by a pin at an end thereof for enabling coplanar movement of the legs about the pin. In use, the tool is inserted in the seam rift and a setscrew fixes the legs in a selected spaced relationship, thereby holding the carpet portions apart. The repair tool includes a wheel, rotatably attached at an end of each leg, opposite the pin. During a repair operation, the tool is drawn along the seam rift while the wheels hold the carpet portions away from the underlying tape. By holding the carpet portions away from each other, and by separating them from the tape, the repair tool enables convenient deposition of adhesive along the tape, while reducing the likelihood of getting the adhesive on the carpet portions.
While wheels are utilized in the preferred embodiment to separate the carpet portion from the underlying tape, other techniques also have utility. Thus, for example, the wheels may be replaced by an elongated ovoid element, or a wedge shaped element, as more particularly set forth below.
While use of the repair tool is described with respect to carpet seam defects in carpet installed over a pad, the invention is equally useful in cases of seam rifts where the carpet is adhered directly to a floor.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.